John Lefsky Poop ’12

I’m listening to POOP possibles as I type this. I don’t suppose I can have an extra month so I can investigate the intriguing SHINDIG Top Ten, not one title I have heard. Guess not. OK.

Buy New or Used via Amazon1. Ty Segall Band – SLAUGHTERHOUSE Ty released 3 records this year, all worthwhile. This one sounds like he’s been eating Hawkwind for breakfast, with a bit o’ Blue Cheer. Fuzz, hooks, phlegm.

Buy New or Used via Amazon2. Volcano The Bear – GOLDEN RHYTHM/INK MUSIC Just out of curiosity, I Googled VTB and This Heat. SHAZAM!!! Been listening to these guys for years, and this is their most accessible. Some Canterbury influence. (Canterbury means Prog Rock for people who are afraid to admit they like Prog Rock.)

Buy New or Used via Amazon3. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Friends – Y’AMBESSAW TEZETA Friends include Hans Bennink, Misha Mengelberg and Ken Vandermark. This is more Mekuria’s show than their last collaboration. The Ex gently swing and sway, pulling back from the martial chaos they can cause, and it works.

Buy New or Used via Amazon4. The Residents Present Coochie Break – SONIDOS DE LA NOCHE Basically the Residents without Randy singing. The vocals, by former member Carlos, are almost all in Spanish. The whole album has a melancholy air, devoid of the Residents more eccentric tendencies.

Buy New or Used via Amazon5. The Electric Mess – FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH Farfisa, hooks, snarling female vocalist. Doesn’t let up. As much as I liked their debut, this one leaves it in the dust.

Buy New or Used via Amazon6. Thee Oh Sees – PUTRIFIERS II Wow, only one record this year. Last year they put out three. Moving away from the garage and towards more melodic psych/pop.

Buy New or Used via Amazon7. Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby – A WORKING MUSEUM “Rebel Girl, Rebel Girl” should be a hit. Well it is with me, along with the rest of this melodic wonder. Proof that heartfelt doesn’t have to mean mawkish.

Buy New or Used via Amazon8. The Intelligence – EVERYBODY’S GOT IT EASY BUT ME You can be a clever smart – ass as long as you have the hooks to back it up. I’m also a sucker for a mellotron.

Buy New or Used via Amazon9. Alexander Tucker – THIRD MOUTH It’s hard to write this stuff without the inevitable comparisons. I’m thinkin’ side 2 of “Before And After Science,” but with a heavier psych/folk bent. What would I do without the words “garagey” or “psych”? I think I finally weened myself off of “angular” and “jagged.”

Movies:

Don’t make it out to the movies too often, so these may not all be 2012 flicks:
1.THE MASTER 2. WEEKEND 3. ATTENBERG 4. THE AVENGERS 5. THE GREY.Other goodies – COMPLIANCE, THE CHRONICLE, BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING, BERNIE, ROADIE, ALPS, CABIN IN THE WOODS, ARGO, THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD, THE RAID.Almost, not quite, some good scenes and performances: MOONRISE KINGDOM, COSMOPOLIS, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, THE DEEP BLUE SEA,

Special mention – DARK KNIGHT RISES and PROMETHEUS. Dull, stupid and long. Nolan made one pretty good flick, MEMENTO, held together by a good central performance. DARK KNIGHT is the worst of a useless trilogy. PROMETHEUS looks like the beginning of a useless trilogy.

Looking at other lists, much was missed. A lot of music falls through the cracks because there is more great music put out independently. To find some of it, you have to contact the bands and labels directly. It’s worth the trouble.